Livescribe2 GB Pulse Smartpen

It works great. I really love how you can playback the audio by clicking on a note you were writing while recording.I've never had it fail. It always picks up everything I write. I think this could be a really valuable tool for anyone in college. It's a little bit of a touchy item in a corporate setting because people don't usually want to be recorded.You don't have to record audio though. You can just start writing on your note pad and it will record what you write without audio.People complain about needing to purchase paper but it's not really that expensive. If you're really concerned about that, livescribe lets you download "dot paper" from their website that you can print on your home printer which works exactly like their pre-printed dot paper.I just bought one for my Father and I'm planning on getting at least 2 more as gifts for Christmas.I only have one gripe but it doesn't detract from my 5 star rating. I wish it came bundled with the software that turned your handwriting into type. You can purchase it for an additional $30 which isn't that bad, and some versions of this pen come with it bundled so shop around.Enjoy :)

First of all, these pens are the best Smartpens made, and would still be the best, if they were still being made. The problem is these pens were last made in 2009, and contain parts have have a finite lifespan. The battery and the display are good for about 3 years from the date of manufacture. So if the pen was made in 2009, then by 2012 they are no longer any good. I bought two of these pens in 2009, and they both died in 2011. I bought a new one in preparation for a new job in 2019, and I received a brand new box with a pen undamaged since it was packaged in 2009, however it had a bad display. I was able to charge the battery, and the pen made noises when I tried to operate the setup menu, but with the display being dead, there was no configuration possible.The manufacturer tells me they stopped making these before I bought my first one, so there is no way it is possible these were made later. They have integrated batteries and are not intended to be repaired, The OLED display on my original pens grew dimmer in the two years I used them, and were the primary reason they were failing, but the batteries and display pens stored for 10 years are unlikely to have the same life as new.

Works as advertised... super helpful for those meetings where people talk too fast or you are unfamiliar with the topic at hand. Listening to it afterward is AWESOME-- you catch 100% of what happened. Upload procedure is easy and software design is great. I'm very happy so far however there are a couple issues I've encountered that make it less than five stars:1. There is no pocket clip, cap, or other non-cylindrical part that prevents the pen from rolling off the table when you set it down2. Pen is very fat-- feels like you are writing with a magic marker and calls undue attention (although when I explain what it is people are AMAZED)3. Failed to upload the voice recording once... and I have heard some other stories of this occurring. Software is probably a bit buggy (but has worked 90% of the time for me) Thankfully the voice recording was still in the pen.Overall I'm very happy with the product, even though it means I have to buy their special paper!

This is an excellent pen in its own right - extremely reliable right up until the cartridge runs out of ink, but additionally adds a great deal of utility in terms of being able to do voice recordings and get what is essentially a movie of yourself writing while recording sound. The pen is tremendously under-marketed by Livescribe and (in my opinion) most people are not really made aware of its full potential. The only way to really get what it's capable of is to watch some of the video reviews on Youtube. I use it to take meeting minutes during my project meetings and also I had used it to take notes during my classes in college. So effective to getting my good grades in school.Features I would like to see on future pens include better battery monitoring (currently, the meter is a little inaccurate), ink level monitoring and a small, compact tool for removing spent ink cartridges. Also, it would be nice if I could charge the pen with something more common like micro USB rather than the proprietary dock.

Purchased in July 2010 for daughter to use in college. She loved it, worked well thru that year, she returned last fall, it quit working. When she contacted customer service, they told her battery was gone and it couldn't be replaced. We found the pen when moving her back, I hooked it up, updated the software, and pen firmware based on their website, the display doesn't show. The PC found the pen as soon as I hooked it up. But you can't see anything to tell if it's on, recording or anything. I believe it still has battery life but the display is show. I paid $130 for this pen, other notebooks, and refills. This is a huge waste of money for the quality. The pen didn't make it a total of 12 months use and it wasn't like she didn't keep it charged, stored, properly, etc. She has other electronics that still look new. I'll not be purchasing another one of these items or anything from their company.